EP0181362A1

EP0181362A1 - Female elements for electric connector, and method for making them.

Info

Publication number: EP0181362A1
Application number: EP85902066A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Francois Robert Bonhomme
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-05-07
Filing date: 1985-05-06
Publication date: 1986-05-21
Also published as: FR2563948B1; DE3562845D1; FR2563948A1; EP0181362B1; WO1985005229A1; US4705336A

Abstract

Le connecteur est formé d'au moins deux supports (1, 2) en matière isolante dont l'un au moins est en matière plastique élastique et qui sont assemblés l'un à l'autre face intérieure contre face intérieure. Les profils de ces deux supports (1, 2) sont tels qu'ainsi assemblés, ils délimitent entre eux une série d'alvéoles (4) s'ouvrant sur l'une ou moins des faces transversales de l'ensemble (7) des deux supports. La face intérieure de l'un au moins de ces supports est revêtue d'au moins une piste métallisée à l'emplacement de chaque alvéole (4).The connector is formed of at least two supports (1, 2) made of insulating material, at least one of which is made of elastic plastic material and which are assembled to one another, interior face against interior face. The profiles of these two supports (1, 2) are such that thus assembled, they delimit between them a series of cells (4) opening on one or less of the transverse faces of the set (7) of two brackets. The inner face of at least one of these supports is coated with at least one metallized track at the location of each cell (4).

Description

Female electrical connector elements and their manufacturing process

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The design and production of micro-miniature electrical connectors, that is to say ensuring the connection by plugs whose diameter is less than or equal to 0.3 mm, encounter many difficulties.

As is known, an electrical connection generally uses a metal plug and socket. It is

* 1 _Q clear that, to reduce the overall size as much as possible, it is necessary to place on the socket, and not on the plug, the elastically deformable device which ensures the necessary contact pressure, in order to allow the use of plugs whose diameter is less than

15 0.3 mm. If the socket is cylindrical, it is impossible to correctly carry out an electrolytic protective deposit inside this socket since the inside diameter of the latter is substantially equal to the diameter of the plug.

0 In addition, electrical contact devices are normally used using elastic metallic materials which provide the necessary contact pressure but which are generally not suitable for the small dimensions envisaged in this type of connector, in particular for manufacturing reasons. components as well as assembly using automatic machines. To eliminate the drawbacks resulting from the use of these elastic metallic materials, the applicant has already proposed, in FR-A-1 174 063, to use a flat plastic mattress 0, for example made of synthetic rubber, bearing on the one of its flat faces of the copper deposits that are just applied, by a transverse displacement relative caused by external mechanical means, on the flat face of a printed circuit board, in order to ensure contact between the usual conductive tracks of this card and the copper deposits of the elastic mat.

The object of the invention is to develop a method for manufacturing female electrical connector elements.

, -. „, Preferably that it is suitable for plug diameters _/ at most equal to 0.3 mm and which is safe and relatively inexpensive.

The invention also aims to provide relatively inexpensive electrical connector female elements which can receive plugs of such a diameter and which ensure satisfactory contact pressure with good reliability.

To achieve this object, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing a female connector element

_^ electrical preference, intended to cooperate with plugs of diameter / at most equal to 0.3 mm, characterized in that it essentially consists in separately establishing two supports made of insulating material, at least one of which is made of elastic plastic material, by giving these supports transverse profiles such that, when these supports are subsequently assembled to one another the inner face against the inner face, they delimit between them a series of parallel cells opening onto the at least one of the transverse faces of the assembly of the two supports; then coating the inner face of at least one of these supports with at least one metallized track at the location of each cell; and finally to assemble the two supports in the above-mentioned manner. Of course, this definition of the method does not exclude the use of more than two supports to constitute the same female connector element, provided that each cell is delimited by two such supports, at least one of which is made of elastic plastic. Thanks to this process, it is possible to produce cells whose diameter of the circle inscribed in ^' eur' preferably cross section is very small, that is to say / at most equal to 0.3 mm, and whose surface is at least partially metallized in a safe and easily controllable manner since, during manufacture, it is not necessary to penetrate the bath or the metallization jet at the bottom of closed contour cells, which would moreover be practically impossible, but it suffices to distribute it suitably, by means of usual techniques, over the part of the inner face of the support (s) which corresponds to the future location of the cells and which is then entirely free.

The invention also relates to a female electrical connector element intended to cooperate with plugs preferably of diameter _/ at most equal to 0.3 mm, essentially characterized in that it is formed by two supports made of insulating material. , at least one of which is made of elastic plastic material and which are assembled to one another the inner face against the inner face, the profiles of these two supports being such that thus assembled, they define between them a series of parallel cells opening on at least one of the transverse faces of the assembly of the two supports, the internal face of at least one of these supports being coated with at least one metallized track at the location of each cell . As explained above on the subject of the method, this definition of the female connector element does not exclude the use of more than two such supports for constituting this element.

In each cell with a surface thus partially or totally coated with at least one metallized track, it is possible to introduce, by one or each of the abovementioned transverse faces, a practically non-deformable plug whose diameter is slightly greater than the diameter of the circle which fits into the cross section (at rest) of said cell and establish an electrical connection between this plug or these two plugs and the metallized track of the cell, with a pressure due to the deformation of the or each support in elastic plastic material, this deformation being caused by the insertion of the plug (s) in this cell.

It should be noted that, in US-A-4 416 498, it has already been proposed to constitute a female element of electrical connector either by a single support of elastic plastic material, or by the set of two supports glued together. one to the other, one of which is made of elastic plastic and the other of relatively rigid plastic, this support or this set of two supports delimiting a series of parallel cells which open onto at least one its transverse faces. In each cell, one or two contact blades are inserted and glued which is or are intended to be applied against a plug then inserted loosely in this cell, with a pressure due to the deformation of the material. elastic plastic limiting this cell. The possible presence of two supports glued to each other is necessary simply by the fact that they are established in two different materials and this patent not only does not suggest taking advantage of the fact that the interior of the cells is directly accessible before assembling the two supports but still does not recommend using rubbers made electrically conductive, by exclusively recommending the use of metal blades.

To better distinguish the invention from the state of the art linked to US-A-4 416 498, it is useful to note that the metallized tracks used according to the invention have thicknesses generally less than 0.1 mm _. and having in particular the following values, according to the metal of which they are made:

copper: between 0.01 and 0.08 mm, nickel: between 0.001 and 0.003 mm, gold: between 0.005 and 0.025 mm.

Unlike metal blades, these metallized tracks follow exactly the deformations of the underlying elastic plastic.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the additional description which follows and which is illustrated by the appended drawings.

Figure 1 shows separately, in perspective, two types of supports intended to constitute a female electrical connector element according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows, in profile, a female connector element constituted by the assembly of three supports which are chosen from the two types illustrated in FIG. 1.

Figures 3 e € 4 show, in section through a plane passing through a series of rings, a connector comprising a female element according to this first embodiment, respectively before and after unilateral plugging.

FIG. 5 shows, by way of example, the form of metallized tracks deposited on a support, of one of the types illustrated in FIG. 1, shown in perspective.

Figures 6 and 7 show, by views similar to those of Figures 1 and 2 respectively, on the one hand, two types of supports of a female element of connector established according to a second embodiment of the invention and, on the other hand, this connector element itself.

Figure 8 shows, in a view similar to that of Figures 2 and 7, a female connector element established according to a third embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 9 and 10 each show, in perspective, two supports intended to constitute a female connector element established according to a fourth and a fifth embodiment and shows metallized tracks established according to variants of those of FIG. 5.

Figures 11, 12 and 13 illustrate the deformation of metallized tracks caused by the insertion of a plug, Figure 11 being a perspective view corresponding to one of the types of metallized tracks of Figure 9 and the figures 12 and 13 being views respectively in cross section and in longitudinal section corresponding to one of the types of. metallic tracks of figure 10.

Figure 14 illustrates in perspective a sixth embodiment of the invention applied to a connector for printed circuit boards.

FIG. 15 represents in perspective a support established according to a variant of FIG. 5.

FIG. 16 shows in perspective two complementary plugs which can be used with the female connector element of FIG. 2.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 to 4 which illustrate a first embodiment of the invention. In insulating supports made of elastic plastic material such as 1 and 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2), roughly in the form of plates, parallel notches 3 are provided, of semi-circular profile for example, in which, before assembly of these supports, metallization (for example copper, gold, or other suitable metal or alloy) is carried out in a known manner, followed, where appropriate, by an electrolytic protective deposit. The metallized layer or the metallized tracks resulting from this metallization will be described below. In Figure 1, the support

1 has notches 3 on its two faces and the support

2 on one of its faces only. These different supports, for example two in number (two supports 2 joined by their notched faces) or three (a support 1 between two supports 2, as shown in FIG. 2), are then permanently assembled either by gluing, either by ultrasonic welding, for example, so as to constitute a female connector element 7 where the notches 3, two by two, form a cell 4 (FIG. 2) of closed profile (circular in the example shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, a connector can be made up of three main elements: two similar connector male elements 5 each equipped with parallel plugs 6 and a female connector element 7 provided with cells 4 which open on both sides transverse 14 and 15 and which, in the plugging position / shown in FIG. 4, make it possible to electrically connect the plugs 6 of one of the male connector elements 5 respectively to the aligned plugs 6 of the other male element 5. It goes without saying that, as shown in FIG. 4, the female connector element 7 can be permanently connected (by gluing, ultrasonic welding or the like) to one (represented at the bottom of FIG. 5) of the male connector elements 5, the other male element 5 (shown at the top of FIG. 4) can be inserted or not at will in case of connection or disconnection.

According to a first variant, only the support 1 could be made of elastic plastic, the support 2 then being made of practically rigid plastic. According to another variant, the cells 4 could open only on one of the transverse faces, the face 15 (FIG. 3) for example. In this case, the metallized tracks of these cells could be joined to circuit elements, on one side, by plugs such as 6 and, on the other side, by means other than plugs and such for example as soldered wires.

The manufacturing process which has been described with the aid of FIGS. 1 to 4 has many advantages other than the main advantage of producing subminiature connectors. Indeed, the manufacture of all the elements of these connectors can be made automatic. In addition, in the case where each connector comprises two male elements 5, these two elements are identical, which facilitates supply and maintenance.

When the plugs 6 are introduced into the cells 4 of the female connector element 7, the elastic plastic material delimiting totally or partially each cell 4 deforms elastically, as will be explained in more detail below, giving the contact pressure and the electrical connection with the plug is ensured by the metallization deposit produced in this cell.

As indicated above, FIGS. 1 and 2 show notches 3 having a semi-circular open profile of _Q so as to produce, in pairs, cells 4 of circular closed profile. They can also have a shape triangular, like the notches 3a in FIG. 6, or trapezoidal, like the notches 3c in FIG. 9, and in this case being provided either on the two supports as in the case of the insulating support 9 in FIG. 7, or preferably on the only insulating support 9 (FIG. 6) or 9c (FIG. 9), the other support 10 then being plane. The female connector element 7 then presents itself either according to FIG. 7 where a support 9, provided with notches 3a on its two faces, is sandwiched between two supports 10 planes, or according to FIG. 8 where two supports 9a, having notches 3a on only one of their faces, are superimposed on a flat support 10, or again according to FIG. 9 where a support 9c, having notches 3c on only one of its faces, is placed on a flat support 10. In these three cases, the closed profile of the cell 4 is identical to the open profile of the triangular notch 3a or trapezoidal 3c. As explained below, this triangular or trapezoidal shape makes it possible to obtain the tightening of a plug such as 6 on three generatrices. In the case of FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, if the notched supports 9, 9a or 9c are made of elastic plastic material, the non-notched supports 10 can be made either also of elastic plastic material, or preferably of non-elastic plastic material . Although the deformation of the plastic material is small, it is advantageous, to increase reliability, to carry out the metal deposition in each cell 4 not on the entire surface of the cell, but according to relatively narrow metallized tracks capable of 'ensure electrical continuity from one end to the other of the cell.

In the case of the notches 3 of semi-circular profile formed in a support 2 of elastic plastic material, it is possible for example, as shown in FIG. 5, to have recourse to metallized tracks 8 arranged along the generatrices (rectilinear) of the surface semi-cylindrical 1 0 the notch 3 or metallized tracks 8a arranged parallel to each other according to sinuous paths

_ from one end to the other of the notch 3. These metallized tracks 8 or 8a thus follow paths which practically cannot deform during the intro¬ duction of a plug 6.

In the case where the female connector element 7 comprises a flat support 10, the metallized tracks can, according to a first solution illustrated in FIG. 9, be provided only on this flat support 10, whether the latter is made of elastic plastic material or almost rigid. FIG. 9 illustrates three possible forms for such metallized tracks: rectilinear tracks 11, tracks 16 in the form of a comb with teeth 17 and tracks 18 in the form of scales with transverse bars 1 and uprights 19a.

FIG. 11 illustrates the deformation of a metallized track 16 in the form of a comb of FIG. 9 which is formed from one end to the other of a cell 4 on a support 10 of elastic plastic material, so that the track continuous 16a, constituting the back of the comb, is offset laterally relative to the center of the cell. It can then be seen that the plug only touches the teeth 17 and that consequently the deformation caused on the support 10 by the insertion of a plug 6, is located on these teeth 17 and does not concern the continuous track 16a. There is therefore no risk of it being worn by friction, or of being chipped by the deformation of the support 10. The same effect is obtained with the metallized tracks ± Q in the form of a scale in FIG. 9, each of the uprights 19a of the ladder comprising the continuous metallic track 16a of FIG. 11.

. . ... contact increases the reliability of the connection by multiplying points

According to a variant u embodiment described with reference to Figures 9 and 11, the metallized tracks such as 11, 16 and 18 could be provided on a flat support which is no longer elastic but relatively rigid. the insertion of the plug 6 then causing the deformation of the support 9c with notches 3c. In any case, not being metallized, these notches 3c of the support 9c only serve to transmit the pressure of the plug 6 against the metallized tracks of the other support 10.

To facilitate the deformation of the elastic plastic, it is possible to provide, in the notches such as 3, 3a and 3c, whether they are of semi-circular, triangular or polygonal profile, longitudinal or transverse bosses on which a metallization is deposited and, among other things, grooves or ribs parallel or perpendicular to the axis of the cell, or even inclined with respect to this axis, and obtained, during the molding of the support of insulating material, by the use of mandrels in which have been pra¬ ticked grooves, these being parallel, perpen¬ dicular or inclined relative to the axis and corresponding to the above grooves or ribs.

Thus, on the right side of FIG. 10, a support 9c has been shown, the cells 3c of which have transverse bosses 20 which carry the only metallized tracks 21 with which the plugs come into contact 6. The transverse metallized tracks 21 are electrically joined together by a longitudinal metallized track 22, formed at the bottom of the trapezoidal notch 3c, which is thus thus removed from the risks of wear by friction and flaking by repeated deformations, like the longitudinal track 16a of the figures 9 and 11. On the left side of FIG. 10, tracks 21 and 22 are shown similar to those of the right side, the only difference being the absence of bosses such as 20.

If the support 9c is made of elastic plastic and the support 10 of non-elastic plastic, the insertion of a plug such as 6 causes deformation of each transverse track 21 as shown in FIG. 12, without deformation of the longitudinal runway 22. The presence of the recesses between bosses 20 (FIG. 10) or of a central recess 24 (see FIG. 13) has the advantage that the transverse tracks 21 deform independently of each other, which prevents local deformations due to the insertion of a first plug 6 (see on the right of FIGS. 10 and 13) on one of the transverse faces 14 of the female connector element 7. to propagate towards the other transverse face 15 and to disturb accordingly the contact when a second plug is inserted by the other transverse face 15.

In the foregoing, it has been assumed that each of the insulating material supports constitutes an element specially made for the female connector element. In fact, one of the supports, in particular when it is a flat support made of practically non-deformable insulating material, may be part of an electrical or electronic component, such as a printed circuit board. In Figure 14, there is shown the application of the invention to the connection between a motherboard 27 and a daughter card 25 provided, on at least one of its edges, metallized connection tracks 26 It then suffices to adapt to the motherboard 27 a male connector element 5 of the type shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and to use the daughter card 25 as a substantially rigid planar support, similar to those designated by 10 in FIGS. 6, 1, 8 and 9. By bonding or welding by ultrasound /, aT.ors is reported on the daughter card 25 of the notched ports, such as that designated by 9c in FIG. 9, making their notches * 3c coincide with tracks 26, which then play the role of tracks 11 in FIG. 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the invention also provides for the use of insulating plastic (elastometer, thermoplastic or other material) to give contact pressure to the adjoining parts of two plugs 12, 13, housed end to end in overlapping in one cell 4 whose diameter at rest is less than the diameter of the adjoining parts of these sheets. The two non-deformable plugs 12 and 13 have circular profiles of the same diameter D and end in co-complementary profiles, for example semi-circular, which can be joined and which together form a circular profile of diameter D, this diameter being greater than the diameter d at rest (see FIG. 2) of the cell 4. The deformation of the elastic plastic material of the supports 2 or the like, due to the insertion of the plugs 12 and 13 towards each other another in the same cell * 4, ensures the contact pressure not only of each of the sheets against the metallization of the cell 4 but also of the adjoining parts of the sheets against one another. When one of the supports is made of non-elastic material, it allows the sheets 6 to be centered more precisely than if it were made of elastic material.

Another possibility, among others, is to produce notches 3b having small variations in diameter along the length, as shown in FIG. 15.

Like the cells 4, the sheets 6, 12 and 13 can be of round, rectangular or polygonal section without changing the spirit of the invention. They can be made of a machined metal rod or the bare end of a conductive wire. In the case of a machined metal rod, these sheets are preferably coated with an electrolytic protection (nickel plus gold, for example). In the foregoing, it was not considered necessary to describe the process for metallizing the cells because such processes are well known to those skilled in the art. By way of example, mention may be made of the metallization process by screen printing of inks containing metals, proposed by the American company General Electric and described succinctly in the French review "Industrie et Technique" n ° 554, page 80, of 20 February 1985.

Claims

1. Method for manufacturing a female key element © DicsfΘIΘΠCS electrical connector intended to cooperate with plugs of diameter / at most equal to 0.3 μm, characterized in that two insulating material supports are established, one of which at least is made of elastic plastic, by giving these supports transverse profiles such that, when these supports are subsequently assembled to one another the inner face against the inner face, they deli¬ mit between them a series of parallel cells sOpen on at least one of the transverse faces of the assembly of the two supports; in that the inner face of at least one of these supports is then coated with at least one metallized track at the location of each cell; and in that we finally assemble the two supports in the above-mentioned manner.

2.- Female element of electrical connector

,,,,. . _^ preferably intended to cooperate with plugs (6) of diameter / at most equal to 0.3 mm, characterized in that it is formed by two supports ₍ 1, 2; 9, 10 or 25) made of insulating material, at least one of which is made of elastic plastic and which are assembled to each other on the inner face against the inner face, the profiles of these supports being such that thus assembled, they delimit between them a series of parallel cells (4) sOpen on at least one of the transverse faces (14, 15) of the assembly of the two supports, the internal face of at least one of these supports being coated with at least one metallized track ( 8, 8a; 11, 16, 18, 21, 22) at the location of each cell (4).

3.- connector element according to claim

2, characterized in that the cells (4) are each constituted by the set of two opposite notches (3), formed respectively in two adjoining supports (1, 2).

4.- connector element according to claim

3, characterized in that the cells (4) have a circular profile at rest, each notch (3) having a semi-circular profile.

5.- connector element according to claim (2), characterized in that the cells (4) each consist of a notch (3a, 3c) formed in one of the sup¬ ports (9, 9a, 9c) and limited by the other support (10, 25) which is of planar shape.

6.- connector element according to claim 5, characterized in that the plane-shaped support (25) consists of a printed circuit board.

7.- connector element according to one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the notches (3, 3a) have a polygonal profile, in particular triangular or trapezoidal.

8. A connector element according to claim 4, characterized in that each notch is furnished with several metal tracks (8, 8a) arranged parallel to each other and extending from one transverse face (14) to the other. (15).

9.- connector element according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the metallized tracks (16, 18, 21-22) comprise separate transverse portions (17, 19, 21) intended to take contact with a plug (6) and at least one longitudinal part (16a, 19a, 22) set back relative to the space reserved for the plug (s) (6) electrically connected to the transverse parts (17, 19, 21) and ensuring electrical continuity from one transverse face (14) to the other transverse face (15).

10.- connector element according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the cells (4) comprise at least one transverse recess (24).

11.- connector element according to all of claims 9 and 10, comprising several transverse recesses, characterized in that these transver¬ sal recesses are delimited by bosses (20) lined with metallized tracks (21).